In Canadian football, the potential of the games greatest players isnt always obvious during the early stages of their careers. Wesley Walker Jersey . And Anthony Calvillo is no exception. He came to the CFL in the most unusual of circumstances, the 21-year-old quarterback of a CFL expansion team in Las Vegas that spent its one and only season playing before crowds that resembled friends and family. That first season, he completed 44 per cent of his passes and threw more interceptions than touchdowns while the team stumbled to a 5-13 record and then folded. Had Calvillo hung up his cleats right then and there, no one would have blamed him. And no one would have remembered him, either. At that time, he was about as anonymous as a CFL player could be. All of which makes more remarkable the journey hes taken over the past 20 years, retiring as the all-time leading passer in pro football history, three Grey Cup rings and a legacy in Canadian football that is virtually unmatched. The lesson of Anthony Calvillos career is that those who become stars in the Canadian game are rarely those who possess eye-popping physical attributes, or who arrive with bona fide star power. They are, instead, usually players whose full skill sets arent obvious right away, requiring a combination of humility, determination, patience and smarts to reach their potential. And in Calvillos case, he needed every one of those qualities to get him to the top. Calvillos time in Las Vegas was followed by a move to Hamilton for three seasons where he served primarily as backup quarterback for the Tiger-Cats, followed by two more with Montreal where he once again played the understudy, this time under CFL great, Tracy Ham. If there was greatness ahead of him at that time, only Calvillo would have known it. Yet six years into his professional career, following Hams retirement after the 1999 season, Calvillo took the reins in Montreal looking like someone whod been succeeding at the Canadian game all his life. It turns out Calvillo had made good use of those first half-dozen years in the league, refining his craft, learning from his own mistakes and those of others, quietly turning himself into someone who was ready and able to engineer a CFL offence. When his time came to become a starter with Montreal, he was meticulous and calm, the consummate professional who could command respect from those around him with his approach to the game and unmatched level of preparedness. Had his success come earlier in his career, Calvillo might not have lasted as long as he did in the CFL. But when the National Football League comes looking for players in Canada, it tends to value youth and overhwelming physical skills. To appreciate Anthony Calvillo, you couldnt just look at tape or watch him at a workout. You had to see him game-in and game-out to understand the consistency, how rarely his instincts betrayed him and what a winner he was. That recogntion didnt come quickly in Canada either, however. Consider that when TSN did its Top 50 all-time players list in 2006, a survey of football media from across the country, Calvillos name wasnt on it. It wasnt truly until the final half-dozen years of his career that Calvillo began to receive his due as one of the leagues all-time greats, as the success he accumulated year after year became impossible to ignore. Calvillo is the last player to have played for a U.S. expansion team to retire, closing the book on that desperate chapter of CFL history but at the same time reminding us it wasnt all bad. If it werent for the Las Vegas Posse, would Calvillo have ever played in the CFL? And even if he had surfaced elsewhere in the league, would his journey somehow have turned out differently? Its been a great ride for Anthony Calvillo, the rare CFL player who retires as a nationally recognized name in Canada. From the unlikeliest of beginnings to the highest of accolades, he earned everything he got along the way. Dave Naylor can be heard weekdays from 4pm-7pm as the host of TSN Drive on TSN Radio 1050 in Toronto. Joe Namath Authentic Jersey . -- Having played six seasons with the Kings, Kevin Martin is very comfortable at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento. Calvin Pace Jersey . The new Romo deal, which is being reported by the Dallas Morning News, will save the team another $10 million. According to the report, the new deal drops Romos salary-cap figure from $21.TORONTO -- Insisting he is a "clean fighter," UFC heavyweight Alistair Overeem says his failed drug test was the result of a prescribed anti-inflammatory medication. Overeems explanation -- and apology -- comes on the eve of an appearance before the Nevada State Athletic Commission. "Prior to the UFC 146 press conference in March, I aggravated an old rib injury on my left side," the former Strikeforce champion said in a statement Monday. "My doctor prescribed, and I accepted, an anti-inflammatory medication that was mixed with testosterone. "I was completely unaware that testosterone was one of the ingredients in the medication. Although I was unaware, I do realize it is my job to know what I am putting into my body." Overeems failed drug test showed a 14-1 testosterone-epitestosterone ratio, according to the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Most people are a ratio of 1-1 although the commission allows for a ratio of 6-1. The World Anti-Doping Agency allows a 4-1 ratio. WADA says an elevated T/E "may be an indicator of the use of a prohibited substance." Since Overeem is currently without a license to fight -- his last one expired at the end of 2011 -- he will have to appear before the Nevada commission to get a new one. That means explaining the failed drug test. That hearing is scheduled for Tuesday. Typically, fighters licenses expire at the end of the calendar year. They then have to apply for a new one, with updated medicals and drug tests. The UFC announced Friday it had replaced Overeem with former champion Frank Mir in the UFC 146 main event. Overeem apologized for that upheaval in his statement. "I am deeply saddened to announce that on Friday, April 20, I respectfully withdrew from the May 26 event so that I can request a continuance until my situation with the Nevada State Athletic Commission is resolved," Overeem said. "I cannot express how sorry I am to the commission, Junior Dos Santos, the fans, the owners and employees of the UFC, my friends and family and anyone else who this has affectted. Jace Amaro Authentic Jersey. "I absolutely do not believe in, nor do I use performance-enhancing drugs. I am a clean fighter and I will do whatever it takes to prove this to everyone." Added Overeem: "Friends and fans, I ask for your patience as I work through this matter. Please support me. I promise to return to the Octagon soon." The random test was conducted around a March 27 news conference in Las Vegas. Dos Santos and fellow heavyweights Mir, Cain Velasquez, Roy (Big Country) Nelson and Antonio (Bigfoot) Silva all passed their tests. Overeem (36-11-1) made his UFC debut Dec. 30 at UFC 141 when he knocked out Brock Lesnar in the first round for the right to meet Dos Santos. Overeem, a star in Pride, Strikeforce and K-1, arrived in the UFC last year with baggage. And his pre-Lesnar fight drug test took weeks to be carried out to the Nevada commissions approval. Eventually Overeem passed three urine tests and one blood test surrounding the Lesnar fight. Overeem got his license to fight in Nevada but the drug test drama -- and his change in body type over the years -- left people talking. Overeem used to fight at 205 pounds as a light-heavyweight, walking around at 215-220 pounds. Now he is right at the edge of the 265-pound heavyweight limit. The Dutch fighter, who now lives in the U.S., attributes the weight increase to strength and conditioning training and diet. Overeem is unbeaten in 12 fights, a stretch dating back to a September 2007 loss in K-1 to Sergei Kharitonov. The UFC has tried to combat illegal drugs, testing fighters when they sign contracts. Commissions also do random testing in addition to tests around fights. NOTES -- Mark (The Machine) Hominick and Eddie Yagin each won a US$65,000 fight of the night bonus for their bout Saturday night at UFC 145 in Atlanta. A bloody Yagin won a split decision. Heavyweight (Big) Ben Rothwell picked up $65,000 for knockout of the night in stopping Brendan Schaub. Heavyweight Travis Browne collected the $65,000 submission of the night bonus for his arm triangle victory over Chad Griggs. ' ' '